Virtual African Loop: Benin

I’ve crossed out of Togo and into Benin.

To celebrate this crossing, I’m making this dessert: bananas in orange sauce.

Firstly, in case I didn’t mention this before: I’m not a fan of bananas. I make rare exceptions (which usually involve hot fudge and ice cream). Or (apparently, as this post proves), because I’m hard pressed on a trek-related recipe option.

Secondly, I also almost never have oranges on hand. So both of those required a special grocery order.

Finally, the recipe suggests serving with ice cream. I am temporarily off ice cream. (I love ice cream. Like it was a problem. Ice cream and I are currently on a break, to get some perspective and decide what we want from this relationship.)

All that said…

I used WAY more lemon than called for. (Lemons, I have. I cook a host of things that call for it and fresh lemon is always best. I buy a bag of lemons every grocery order. So lots more lemon.)

Also: to reduce something to a sauce takes eternity. It is literally a watched pot, that must never boil but just slowly, slowly, slowly evaporate.

(All those slowlies there are not accidental or lazy. They are just accurate.)

It

Is

Desperately

Agonizingly

S L O W

Ugh.

This is even more agonizing because Patience is a virtue that I don’t possess a lot of.

(Not for nothing, but there is a reason I also don’t make balsamic glaze often. It takes so dang looooooong!)

So by the time I had passed the second 15 minute interval and it still wasn’t very saucy, I promised myself I only had to do this once, and I could be done with it.

Rating this recipe on the process? 1/5. Lots of citrus squeezing and mind-numbing amounts of stirring a liquid that does not want to thicken into a sauce.

But.

Rating the outcome? 5/5 stars. Bananas are better in an orange-lemon sauce.

Ice cream? Oh gosh, ice cream and I might have to make up because of this (though I realize it’s only going to exacerbate our issues to bring another party into the mix).

And this is 100% a party for my mouth.

I think I gotta get walking to make up for all the dessert I’m going to want to have!

Update: though the lemon stands out when serving the sauce over bananas, with vanilla ice cream the orange perks up in a very creamsicle or orange sherbet kind of way. I don’t love either of those. (I know, I know).

I do like lemon sherbet but the orange stands out more. Alas.

And no, I should not know how it is over ice cream. Let’s not discuss it.

However over baked pears the sauce is delightful. De-light-ful!

Also things I would be better served by not knowing.